A Walmart Customer Is Getting $7.5M After Breaking His Hip In A Bizarre Accident

After this lawsuit, Walmart might want to make sure their stores are truly foolproof. A customer who sued Walmart over a bizarre accident in which he fell while reaching for a watermelon won more than $7 million.

So what exactly happened? Alabama resident Henry Walker, 59, was reaching for a watermelon in the store when his foot got caught in a wooden pallet. Trying to jostle the foot loose, Walker fell back, shattered his hip, and had to leave the store on a stretcher.

A big help in Walker’s lawsuit against Walmart was the security footage that revealed several other customers had gotten their feet caught in the pallets. Walker’s attorney, Shaun O’Hara said, “You don’t expect to go into a grocery store walking fine on your two feet and come out on a stretcher.”

Walker received $2.5 million in compensatory damages plus another $5 million in punitive damages.

The money Walker won cannot help his hip, unfortunately. Before the accident, Walker would play basketball with friends about three times a week, but now he uses a walker to get around.

A representative from Walmart stated, “We are disappointed in the verdict. We appreciate the jury’s service, however we believe that the damages awarded were excessive in light of the facts in this case. We plan to appeal.”